[JerseyD]

  Would I be satisfied with the Ethers bass after owning APs.  Thats the main thing thats keeping me from getting the Ether-C

Only you can decide..but I want to say yes. Try to audition a pair of burned-in Ether Cs to find out. Where are you located? Dan's got a map of dealers on his website (and we've know a Head-Fi'er or two that would let you take a listen if there are no dealers near you).

 

[Maelob]

I will check the closest dealer in VA.

 

[Subatomic]

  We are in the process of finishing our program for Prime upgrades, we should have some news in the next week.  Thanks for the patience!

Excellent news, thanks! Looking forward to upgrading my Mad Dog Pros

 

[Jimbob Andrews]

I am using a DX80 DAP & Schiit Asgard amp with my Alpha Primes and love it. I bought a Burson HA-160 and have an opportunity to obtain a Calyx M. Should I be satisfied with what I have or make the leap to the Calyx M? I feel like I am on the edge of a cliff peering into a void of eternally more expensive components and contemplating jumping, but I might already be falling.
 
Would I get better sound or would my headphones even allow for much improvement?

 

[JoeDoe]

I'm sure I'll catch flak for this, but I'm running my Primes straight from my Emotiva DC-1, and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are sounding good. The low end in this setup is just delicious! I've recently traded my Liquid Carbon for a Liquid Crimson, and I'm sure that will be a stellar combination, but for the time being, I'm very content with what this humble piece of kit is capable of!

 

[TheGadaffiDuck]

I was thinking about getting the Emotiva A100 BasX when it comes out. Plug my HE6s to the back speaker terminals, then have my Primes go through the headphone jack at the front. Hopefully i can find a XDA 2 dac for cheap to go along with it

 

[Jayzz]

I'm thinking about trading my HE400i for an AP if I can find one in the forums. Since you have had both of them, would you elaborate on the differences? Thanks!

 

[Jayzz]

  Just got my Alpha Primes
 
At first it sounded a little disappointing to my ears since it sounded a bit muffled.. But then I removed the dots and WOW...
 
First thing I noticed are the instrument separation on these... Wow just amazing, haven't heard instrument separation this good since the HD 600.
 
Haven't used any disc either.. Not sure if I should since they just sound AMAZING right now.
 
The detail and clarity on these are just amazing for a closed headphone.
 
I've owned the MDP and it doesn't even come close to these.. It's not sibilant at all either. Just tuned to perfection to my ears.
 
I hope i'm not overhyping my impressions right now since I just got these. But 5 years into this hobby, it feels like these are the end game headphones that i've been looking for. I use to think the 400i was one of the best sounding headphones i've ever owned.. but I think these top the 400i, even though its not fair since it's a closed vs open headphone contest.
 
Though one thing lacking is the bass, but that's to be expected and I don't mind it at all since I prefer clarity over bass.
 
A big thank you to everyone, especially @Villy
 
Really positive impressions for the last hour i've been using them. It would be unfair for me to make a judgement so I'll listen to them closely over the weekend and i'll let you guys know what I think . Though on first impressions, it sounds exactly like how the reviews on Head-fi described them(thank you to the reviewers including Villy)!
 
Glad i listened to Head-fi instead of reddit. People were suggesting I not get the AP but I listened to Head-fi instead and now ended up a Happy man 

 

I'm thinking about trading my HE400i for an AP if I can find one in the forums. Since you have had both of them, would you elaborate on the differences? Thanks!

 

[TsKen]

  I'm thinking about trading my HE400i for an AP if I can find one in the forums. Since you have had both of them, would you elaborate on the differences? Thanks!

Although the HE 400i is open-back while the AP is closed back, I found the sound stage on the AP to be much bigger than the 400i.
 
400i has a smaller soundstage which creates a more intimate sound while the AP sounds very expansive.
 
It depends on what you do with the disc/dots when you configure the sound.
 
With the intended tuning that Dan made on the AP, I'd say the HE 400i is a bit brighter than the AP.
 
I've never heard a headphone as detailed as the AP. Instrument separation is just disgustingly good on the AP. As far as details and separation goes, the AP is miles ahead of the 400i.
 
The AP does tends to be too analytical sometimes and you might find the signature a bit dry and less fun sounding than the HE 400i.
 
The AP feels heavier than the 400i if i remember correctly.
 
Though I'm a masochist sometimes and I just use no disc/no dots all together and it makes the AP bright as ****. But hey at least they sound clear as ****
 
Let me know if you have any specific questions as the 400i and the AP are 2 of my most favorite over the ear headphones.
 
Though I sold my AP for $550 2 days ago since i've moved on to CIEM.
 
my new CIEM points out a few flaws in the AP that I did not notice.
 
The biggest would be it's incredibly incredibly flat that some people might consider it to be boring.
 
Not to say it's not a great headphone. It's hard to find a significant upgrade after the AP even after trying out several other headphones like the LCD-2. At this point, it's more of a sound signature preference.

 

[Jimbob Andrews]

I may have obtained my perfect setup.
DX80 - Burson HA-160 - Alpha Primes.
 
It is hard to imagine much gain from more expensive components though I have not heard more expensive components

 

[TsKen]

  I may have obtained my perfect setup.
DX80 - Burson HA-160 - Alpha Primes.
 
It is hard to imagine much gain from more expensive components though I have not heard more expensive components

Hope you enjoy my AP!
 
Hopefully I can get them shipped out today if I rush fast enough to the post office... If not, sorry! Might have to ship them tomorrow morning... My work schedule conflicts with the post office times.

 

[Jimbob Andrews]

I understand, I find myself in the same place. I usually can go at lunch but sometimes we have meetings directly after.

 

[thekorsen]

Well, after a long audio journey, I can safely say that these are some amazing headphones. To potentially help any others who might go through what I did, moving from a V-signature headphone to balanced and initially thinking they were busted, I'll just quote some of what I wrote to the guy I bought these from as we talked about them:
 
"I got them and just finished testing them. Something doesn't sound right though, they are noticeably muffled and distorted compared to my X00s and Fidue A73s. Not to mention flat sounding...but that's probably just what neutral sounds like and I need to re-train my ears. I tested various dot configurations and made sure they were fit right, so I contacted mrspeakers about the problem in case its a defect, otherwise I'll be reselling these. It could just be taste or my current gear can't drive them properly though...just kinda disappointed they weren't what I hoped for, not that it's anything on you."
 
Something else I didn't mention in there, the soundstage initially gave the impression of being very flat and unnatural, with most of the sound seeming like it was focused right where I'd imagine the driver to be. The airy echoing low notes didn't fade out into the distance like they seemed to in my other headphones. And yet, if I tried to place the location of instruments, I placed them further away than the other headphones, which baffled me.
 
I almost gave up on the APs at this point, convinced I would be selling them. But something didn't seem right. These were some very well built cans, unlikely to have been broken during shipping. And they were tuned and listened to by mrspeakers employees vigorously before being sent out. Because of this, I made it a point to find a nearby audio store and get their opinion, as well as hear some other very nice headphones (notably the T1s and HD800s). From that, I learned many of those headphones had the same traits that the primes had that I didn't...well, understand. Following the rabbit hole, I expanded the genres I listened to and gave these a long listen, and everything became vividly clear. I later wrote back to the seller again:
 
"Man.....man man man. I was blind, but now I see.
 
I finally realized what I was missing in these headphones and audio as a whole, and I can't imagine them being broken anymore. I now realize that I was just listening to them wrong, or rather my brain needed to adapt to the neutral signature to be able to...well, UNDERSTAND them. It's been a long journey over the last few days to figure it out, with suspicions being raised when I took them into a audio store and the clerk said they were great and did what I wanted them to, even if I couldn't hear it. But after changing genres to more well recorded classic rock and orchestral pieces over electronic/ambient/indie that I usually consume and giving my brain time to adapt, the difference became night and day. And it infuriated me too, as a lot of the stuff I usually listen to was clearly recorded using a V-shaped sig headphone, making the neutral sounding APs sound high and low anemic.
 
Jeez, I feel like I finally understand what "audiophile" sound is! And even after that revelation, I can still appreciate the X00s as they still image well and add some needed excitement to more dry tracks with less spacious staging, and let me listen to my playlists without wanting to punch the guys who mixed it."
 
Later, when I was trying to make sense of it all:
 
"This whole "brain in" phenomenon is crazy though, I never thought it would have such a massive effect! I always imagined that high end audio was just the pursuit of making audio more real to life, so the higher up you go logically you would need to adapt to the headphone less and less. I've read more into psychoacoustics though, and I think I can see why it is that way now. It seems like many tricks are used to create the illusion of sound in certain areas headphones just can't technically re-create. Therefore it probably takes time for our brain to make sense of the illusory tricks before it all becomes real sounding. Or, it could just be a result of being accustomed to a certain sound signature you then associate with music listening, and having to shift your brain's way of toning up or down subtle or overbearing parts of the signature. That might be essential for the illusion of space and detail to be conveyed convincingly."
 
 
 
TL;DR - If you are moving from a V-signature tuned headphone, a neutral headphone won't have that immediate magic you might be expecting. Your ears need to time to adapt to the signature so the bass and highs can be perceived at normal levels and a long listen with well recorded instrument based music is necessary to fully understand the soundstage. After a few hours, everything should start to become very clear.

 

[Villy]

Welcome on board thekorsen! Now start planning for dac/amp upgrade that will really make them shine. On the X00 subject, I ordered a pair only based on reviews and while waiting those 4 months for them to make it home, I was able to listen to and compare them to my Primes - the result? I sold the X00 the day they arrived, without even opening the outer box. There cannot be a comparison whatsoever, imho.

 

[thekorsen]

Welcome on board thekorsen! Now start planning for dac/amp upgrade that will really make them shine. On the X00 subject, I ordered a pair only based on reviews and while waiting those 4 months for them to make it home, I was able to listen to and compare them to my Primes - the result? I sold the X00 the day they arrived, without even opening the outer box. There cannot be a comparison whatsoever, imho.

Thanks for the welcome! 

 
I think the X00s are very much an acquired taste for a specific audience, tending to my generation's disposition for a V signature to emphasize the energy and impact found in the immensely popular electronic music genre. As another side affect of their tuning, I found music recorded poorly or played from a lesser source was harder to be bothered by on them. You'll find both of these traits common among college student aged people (like myself) so I think that was their main market (and at 8000+ sales now, I'd call that a resounding success!). They don't have the detail retrieval, imaging, or staging might of the Primes, so if V is not a flavor you actively seek out, you intent to only use them on a good/great desktop setup, and/or if you need the relative performance level of the APs to fully appreciate your music collection the X00s probably won't be a great fit.
 
Edit: Also, I noticed something very interesting with the pad rotation on the primes today. When the pads were rotated normally (fat part behind ears) it made it sound like the music was coming more from behind you. However, when the earpads were rotated the other way it sounded like it was coming more from all angles, with instruments now placed in front but drums and lower frequency instruments still remaining behind. I'm wondering of the dot placement may also have something to do with this. Its also weird, because that means angling the drivers more towards the front relative to your ears makes sound appear that is it coming more from behind.